


Fated

by CorenDrawsStuff



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Bisexual Male Character, Cass is an angsty boi, Countdown to death, Dystopia, Everyone is Dead, Fluff and Angst, Future, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lin needs to be protected, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Pansexual Character, References to Depression, Sad Ending, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-08-06 14:24:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16389407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorenDrawsStuff/pseuds/CorenDrawsStuff
Summary: Set in a futuristic dystopian society of the United States. In the year 2048, the Federal Overpopulation Laws were enacted to solve food shortages and overcrowding. Each couple is allowed one child. Two years later, Casper Gynsen and Julin Carriedo-Fernandez are born illegally. Like the others, they receive a bomb implanted in their left shoulders, their lives now regulated by a countdown...Now, in 2068, Cass and Lin are both 18 and not so ready to accept their fate.





	1. Chapter 1

Tomorrow I’ll tell him. It won’t matter anymore since we’ll be dead. I wish I had the courage to tell him sooner. At least this way, I won’t have to live with the guilt when he rejects me. There is no ‘if’ because there’s no way he’d fall for a freak like me. My head is messed up and my body doesn’t even match who I am. 

 

My name is Julin. It hasn’t always been Julin, but I’m not that person anymore. This isn’t your ordinary teen-love story. 

 

_ The sunlight streamed through the trees and gently illuminated his face as if he were under a subtle spotlight. A gentle breeze filtered through his ashen brown hair, causing the leaves to wave and shadows cast on his face to shift and change. He was spread out on the grass of the clearing, laying on his back. Sleeping soundly with a smile playing his soft, full lips. His head was resting on his balled-up white denim jacket as if it were a pillow. Casper. He was beautiful. _

 

_ I saw him from where I was stood a few feet away. I walked over and knelt down by his side. Out of all the horrible things, he is the one good thing in my world. I settled on the grass with my legs outstretched. I breathed in the crisp, clean air of the forest clearing, not wanting this moment to end. Cass was so bitter and tired all the time, it was good to see him at peace for once. I cautiously reached over and lightly touched his bangs, brushing them out of his face to the left side, how he always parts his hair. He flinched, and I quickly drew back my hand. After a few tense seconds, he still remained asleep and I exhaled in relief.  _

 

_ “Cass,” I whispered, “are you afraid of death?” It was silly of me to ask since he was unable to reply. Yet, part of me hoped he would wake soon so we could talk. Cass never wanted to talk about being Fated. He was angry that the government had chosen citizens to die as if their lives were meaningless. We were the last two Fated left in our town, Cytens. We are called the Fated because when we were born, bombs were surgically implanted into our left shoulders. The bomb is a silver disc about the size of a quarter with a tiny digital display counting down numbers. When the count reaches zero, the bomb explodes in a radius large enough to kill us and anyone standing too close. Cass and I were born in the same year, so our countdowns are synced. We are called the Fated because we are “fated” to die young and never live full lives.  _

 

_ The Overpopulation Laws were put into effect in 2048, 2 years before Cass and I were born. Every town, village, or city must only have one couple with one child in each house. I’m a second child and Cass used to be a second child too, in a way. Cass had a twin sister that was born first, so she was spared of the bomb implant. Cass and his sister were always close growing up and spent every day together. Cass never had the heart to tell her that he was Fated. When they were old enough for school, they had to act as if they had never seen each other before. Cass was sent to live with his unmarried, childless aunt and used a fake last name to avoid suspicion. His sister was very dependant on him, and as the years passed, she grew more and more lonely. Then, it happened. Cass and his sister were in their Freshman year of high school, both 14 years old. Like usual, Cass ran to his parent’s house after school. He would always run so that he’d beat his sister there. They’d talk and do homework together every school day before Cass had to go back to their aunt’s house. On that certain day, his sister never came home. He waited for hours. She never appeared. He would later find out that she tried to help one of her new friends who was Fated by attempting to remove the bomb implant. Neither one survived.  _

 

_ Cass never wanted to talk about being Fated. In a way, I guess I was also mad. All our other classmates were planning for college and the future like normal kids, and us…. Well, Cass and I weren’t given a future. It was forcefully taken from us. Cass couldn’t accept that fate, but I, I’ve been waiting to die. I wasn’t afraid of death; I craved it. I had the scars to show it. It made me wonder if Cass knew….I haven’t told him yet, but he might’ve figured it out. It also made me wonder if Cass is afraid to die since our days are numbered. I asked him again. _

 

_ “Cass…. If you’re afraid, you can show it. You don’t have to hide your feelings behind your anger and grief.” I placed my hand on his upturned palm. His eyes fluttered open and his hand closed around mine suddenly. He sat up abruptly, looking around in confusion with furrowed brows. Then, his eyes found mine. I felt like I was frozen in time. His eyes were warm like the sunlight streaming through an empty bottle of whiskey and deep as the known universe, fractals of starlight spinning in everlasting curiosity. To say that his eyes were amber didn’t do them enough justice. After a few awkward seconds, I realized we were holding hands. My face flushed scarlet and I drew back my hand, scooting away from him.  “Sorry…” I muttered, looking down at the grass. _

 

_ “No, Lin, it’s alright. Come back over,” He offered. Oh god, his voice. Still husky from just waking up. I hesitated but then decided to go for it. I crawled back to his side. “I’m glad you’re here.” _

 

_ “Really?” I questioned him. “You don’t think I’m a creepy weirdo for watching you sleep?” He smirked. _

 

_ “You may be a weirdo, but you’re my weirdo. C’mon, let’s get up. I’ve been here long enough.” We stood up, brushing the grass clippings off our clothes. Cass started walking, but I lingered in the clearing. I took in the fresh air and the sounds of the birds chirping. Looking around, I saw that Cass forgot his jacket.  _

 

_ “Cass!” I called, turning to him. “You left your jacket.” He turned around and nodded, jogging back to me. I beat him to it and knelt down to grab it.  _

 

_ “I can get it, don’t trouble yourself,” He says a moment too late. He also reaches for his jacket. We meet halfway, knocking into each other. I lose my balance and fall on him, taking him down with me. We end up on grass again, his arms wrapped around me, our faces mere inches apart. I laugh, tangled in his white denim jacket. He cracks a smile, but I can see that he’s trying not to laugh. I manage to control my fit of laughter and look into his eyes once again. I don’t like what I see. He looks surprised, confused, and almost concerned.  _

_ “What?” I ask hastily. “What did I do wrong?” _

 

_ “Nothing,” he assures me, “it’s just that your laugh….it sounds almost.... _ girly _ , in a way. It’s higher-pitched than a guy’s normal laugh would be.” I felt the color drain from my face. Oh no. Not him, please not him. I can’t tell him. He can’t know, not now, it isn’t the right time. “Lin? Lin, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” I can hear the panic rising in his voice, but I can’t focus. The edges of my vision are fading, my breaths are shallow and quick. He holds me close and I bury my head in his chest. I can tell that he’s trying to help, but it’s only making it worse. I can feel hot tears sliding down my cheeks, wetting his shirt. I’m shaking and I can feel a scream building in the back of my throat, but I force it back. I don’t want him to think of me as more of a freak than I already am. And then, as if it couldn’t get any worse, he shoves me away and regards me with a glare of pure disgust.  _

 

_ “Julin….are you trans?” _

  
  


I flew upright, struggling for air. Why was it so difficult to breathe? I saw the computer on the floor next to my bed. Oh, right. I remember now. I fell asleep typing my essay. This was why you aren’t supposed to sleep with your binder on. I glanced at my alarm clock. 5:55. 5 minutes until I have to get up for school. Wait a minute. I checked the countdown on my shoulder. 6 hours, 4 minutes, and 43 seconds. Huh. I turned off the alarm. No use going to school on the day you’re supposed to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyooo
> 
> Thanks for checking this out mah dudes! Chapter 2 draft is still in progress, and knowing me, it might even be a few months until it's posted. I have no idea how many chapters this will be. Probably 4, at most. It's not going to be a long story.
> 
> See ya in the next update,  
> \- Coran


	2. Chapter 2

It was a few hours later before I woke up. No one even came to see if I was up. Then again, they sort of tolerated me here, and they probably knew that I have...how many hours left? I spared a glance at my left shoulder. 3 hours, 29 minutes, 37 seconds. Which meant that it was 8:30. Who needs a watch when you have a death-bomb sowed into you? 

I spent a few minutes laying there on my bed, staring at the solar system painted on my ceiling. Thinking. Years ago, my older sister had spent hours slaving over these acrylic planets, making sure each one was perfect. It was her gift to me for my 10th birthday. She herself had only been 15 when she painted the mural. I remember our parents constantly telling her how she would be the next Frida. Maristela (pronounced Ma-ree-stay-la) was the high achiever, the creative one, the one they were always proud of and wholly supported. That was, until the accident… Now, the paint was chipped and cracked, specks of white where it had peeled off completely. Riste weeps when she sees her old beloved paintings. My gaze wandered to Earth. This was it. This was my last day on this Earth. How should I spend it?

I ran my fingers through my coarse, thin, black hair. The sides and back of my hair were cropped short, showing off my pierced ears. I only ever wore studs. The top of my hair was a floof that was longer, dyed blaze orange. It’s been expensive to keep it dyed for all these years, but I don’t trust the new methods. There’s a new trend of getting your hair permanently colored. I’ve heard that it’s some sort of biotech gel you rub into your scalp that changes the DNA of your hair chromosomes to the color that you bought. I prefer sticking to the traditional box dyes from the supermarket.

 

My Holo buzzed, interrupting my thoughts. Maybe it’s Cass..? Wishful thinking. I rolled over to my bedside table, then sat up, propping my arm against a pillow. Yawning, I reached over and tapped the screen of my Holo. A miniature, flickering, pink 3D hologram of Casper’s head and torso appeared on top of the circular screen about the size of my palm. He looked a bit annoyed. Uh-oh. Did I forget about something? I stretched out my arms toward the ceiling. I liked to pretend that I was reaching for the real stars, not painted ones. At the sound of Cass’ voice, I dropped them back at my sides.

“Good morning, sleepy-head,” Cass muttered. He looked me over, then sharply turned his head, averting his eyes. “Didn’t know you slept in women’s sports bras.”

“What?” I looked down at my chest, then froze. Shit! I was only in my binder! I must’ve forgotten to put a shirt on over it. I reflexively crossed my arms over my chest. I tried to play it off cool, thanking the stars that Cass was oblivious. “Uh...yeah, it’s, a, a new fashion trend?” He snickered, shaking his head. It was hard to tell with the pink light, but was that a blush? No, I’m imagining things. Probably just the pink hologram. 

“I’m cool with it, Lin. It fits your weird personality,” He smirked.

“Hey!”

“I’m kidding.”

“So, why’d you buzz me, dude?” He moved his Holo so I could see what was in front of him. It was the door of someone’s house. I was still confused. “And your point is..?” I asked. He flipped the view of his Holo so it showed his face again. He gave me an _‘are you kidding me’_ look and jabbed the doorbell. The doorbell of our house rang, and I got out of bed to peer out my window, taking my Holo with me. Casper looked up at me and waved. He spoke something into his Holo. 

“Nice hairdo,” He said, his voice coming through my Holo a second later, “mind opening the door, dumbass?” I closed my curtains. 

“Riste can get it. Wait in the kitchen, I gotta get dressed first,” I set my Holo down on my dresser. “See ya in a little bit.”

“Or we can keep talking, and I offer fashion advice?” He suggested coyly. 

“And watch me change?! No!” I squeaked, my face flushing. 

“I don’t see what the big deal is, I mean we’re both guys, you’re already in your underwear apparently, and I was only offering fashion ad—”

“Holo, end call.”

“Lin, wait, I’m so—” His sentence was cut short as his hologram flickered out and the Holo turned itself off. I pulled out a drawer and grabbed a shirt to wear. I sat on the edge of my bed, burying my face in the shirt. 

“Why is he so stupid sometimes?” I asked no one in particular, my voice muffled by the t-shirt. There was a gentle knock on my door. It didn’t sound natural, like knuckles hitting wood. No, the sound was that of a hard plastic knocking on wood. That meant Riste.

“Your friend is here, little brother,” She spoke softly, her voice calm and smooth like an ocean with a surface like glass. A perfect copy. If only it had been me who had suffered, not her. She was going to be somebody important.

“I know. I saw him through the window. Give me a minute,” I responded, pulling the shirt over my head. I found socks and jeans and threw those on as well, then checked myself in the mirror. All angles were flat, good. The side of one strap peeked out of my collar a bit, but it wasn’t too noticeable. I finished off my look by nabbing my pastel-blue baseball cap from my coat hanger and cramming it on my head with the bill facing backward. All set for the day. It was about time that I go downstairs by Cass. I reached for the doorknob, but before opening the door, I checked my countdown once again. 

2 hours, 59 minutes, 23 seconds. That meant it was 9:00 a.m. We have about 3 hours left. I opened the door and headed downstairs into the kitchen. Best not to keep Cass waiting, he’s impatient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took me 3 months to get this little bit done. Life has been super busy with school and all. That being said, what do you guys think about the real Cass, versus Lin's dream version of Cass? He's a bit old-school, which you'll see in the next chapter. To make up for my laziness, I gave you guys a little mystery to figure out. What do you think happened to Lin's older sister Riste? Here's a hint: It has something to do with the time period the story's set in.
> 
> Also, the ending to this is gonna different than my first version of this story, so be prepared for angst. Alrighty, with all that said, byyyyeeeee.
> 
>  
> 
> \- Ren


End file.
